BREAKING CHARACTER: and being yourself - a conversation with friend of the show, Rachel Romu

You can call Rachel Romu a musician, activist and model, yet they are so much more. They’re a friend, confidant and true trailblazer in every definition of the word. This summer, Accessible Media Inc. launched an incredible documentary series called Breaking Character, following the journeys of six performers with disabilities as they hustle to make their mark on the stage, screen and runway. Rachel is one of the featured subjects and shares their story with authenticity, intention, and impact. We dove deeper with Rachel at a screening party of the series, and a special chat between them and I followed.

LIZ LOKRE: a Catchup on igniting the FIRE that fuels CommUNITY

A CommUNITY Catchup with Toronto Artist + Activist Liz Lokre about her new EP - FIRE - and how she has been using this element to fuel the EP and other facets of her life and career through heritage, community and collaboration.

ALFRED NOMAD: a CommUNITY Catchup on Music + Mental Health

A CommUNITY Catchup with Los Angeles-based artivist Alfred Nomad on his new album, Everything Will Be Alright, the inspiration behind the project, how he has grown as a person and multidisciplinary creative, his incredible initiative to offer mental health and wellness resources to artists, LxVE Fest, collaboration and more.

SAMBARANTHONY: a CommUNITY Catchup on thriving with the arts

Rhandy Adolphe, Founder and lead Photographer of SambaRanthony, is an incredible purveyor of the arts and multimedia creative I met at a podcast program last year. In addition to being an incredible photographer that captures many subjects and themes in an array of settings, Rhandy has his own podcast and media platform, Lupinore, which showcases Canadian lifestyle and social movements through art and music, and in discussion via the Just Facts Podcast where Rhandy and his partner, Yene, dive into happenings and roots of Toronto’s arts scene through candid, engaging conversations. As well as a branding team member of Toronto-based LOUD.army collective. Rhandy does SO much for his community and beyond, so I brought him into The Fold to discuss what has been keeping him inspired + creative and how he has been adapting his platform model in a meaningful way.

NABEEL PERVAIZ: (high)lighting the commUNITY from his lens

In this episode of The Fold Podcast, Toronto-based Photographer and CommUNITY cultivator Nabeel Pervaiz unfolds to share insight about his life and career to date, the inspiration that drives his work, being rooted in many communities, and the inherent values and intention he has to shape them with conscious compassion and fresh ideas.

ESIE MENSAH: A CommUNITY Catchup on Movement(s)

A conversACTION on the many movements @esiemensah makes through her powerful work. We discuss her new project @thebentway, her powerful acclaimed dance theatre production #Shades, allyship over appropriation in the arts and dance communities, support systems, ancestral guidance and more. Thanks to Esie for taking the time to share with us!

Artists, Companies, InterviewsOla MazzucaAugust 1, 2020Esie Mensah, Dance, Choreography, Movement, Connection, Creativity, Activism, ArtivismComment

NORA RAHIMIAN: A CommUNITY Catchup on Art as Activism

A CommUNITY Catchup with Los Angeles-based Creative Consultant Nora Rahimian about her current work, how she has pivoted her services over the last few months, methods for artists to use their platform to continue conversations and shift cultural/ political paradigms and why it’s more than cool to create your own lane, and cultivate a values-based CommUNITY.

SUPERDRAMAGO!: A CommUNITY Catchup on Artistry, Change, Compassion and Action

SUPERDRAMAGO! shares perspective, resources and insight after the JUSTICE FOR REGIS RALLY, as well as supportive tools, including his latest track, When You Smile. He waxes poetic on the power of community, his collaborations with local artists and collectives, his experience as an essential frontline worker and how that has impacted him at this time, and how he is carrying a torch powered by resilience, mastery and triumph, passed through family lineage, shaping the incredible person he is today.

SARAH JANE RIEGLER: A CommUNITY Catchup on the healing power of culture and curation

On May 25, my pal Sarah Jane Riegler, joined me for a #CommUNITYCatchup to discuss the power of curation, and what opportunities for healing can occur through artistic connection, events and collaboration, how this work is done via her inclusive series and spaces @afrohausto + @hausorpheus, Sarah’s vast experience as a percussionist and work in ethnomusicology (S/O @johnorpheus), learning about other cultures and identity through collaborative projects, new mixes and what’s in the works. NOTE: The video cut off mid-way - please excuse any technical difficulties.

THE ALSHEMIST: A CommUNITY Catchup on practices for cultivating connected creativity

On April 21, I had an awesome #CommUNITYCatchup with Bo Large, aka The Alshemist, into the The Fold to discuss a variety of wellness practices we can incorporate into our daily lives, especially as artists and creatives. Bo shared insight about breathwork, vocal toning, somatic healing and more, as we navigate how to access wellness at home, and methods to get inspired and stay connected with the creative flow of life, within ourselves, and in confined spaces.

SABRE: A CommUNITY Catchup about choosing love over fear, and sharing this through song.

On April 14, Ola's dear pal, Toronto-via-San Diego artist and creatrix, Sabre, joined the CommUNITY Catchup on Instagram Live. They discussed the approach of choosing love over fear 24/7, how this acts as a foundation in her work, a recent online collab for IsoLab, created by award-winning producer, Rainer, and sharing insight with other artists on how they can share their art and explore opportunities to build and create with others in a meaningful way.

RACHEL ROMU: Striding into an accessible scene

In this episode, we acknowledge International Day of Persons With Disabilities. My dear friend, and artist/activist/writer/model/musician + more, Rachel Romu, delivers insight on their experiences with disability, accessibility (in various forms) within the arts and creative industries and the spaces they have found inclusion and community in along the way.

MAKE ROOM | THE SPACE PROJECT : unfolding in the frame

Make Room is a Toronto-based non-profit is holding space for artists, helping them to grow, removing labels and breaking barriers to creativity. In this episode, Ola gets into The Fold with founder, Trevor Twells, to discuss the project’s evolution, his diverse career background, Toronto’s indie art community and how we can foster collaboration with a wider lens.

ISO RADIO | BARE SELECTION : community at the controls

ISO Radio founders, Jayemkayem and Freeza Chin, unfold to discuss the UK trip that inspired it all, their complementary skills, developing their Bare Selection record label to cross the pond through sonics, and resources that can help bring people and platforms into The Fold.

Interviews, Artists, CommunitiesOla MazzucaJune 7, 2019ISO Radio, Community, Radio, DJs, Collective, Jayemkayem, Freeza Chin, London, UK, Rinse, Toronto, Collaboration, MusicComment

MAMALIA: growth in new spaces

Sonic Fold was honoured to be a part of ISO Radio’s inaugural International Women’s Day takeover on Saturday, March 9, 2019. Ola had an incredible catch-up chat with Mamalia - an artist she discovered while crate digging at Rough Trade Records in NYC three years ago. They discussed music, transitions, cultivating community when trying new things and the support womxn + non-binary people need in the process.